Several techniques are available for creating great three-dimensional masks for costume or performance use, but one very quick method involves ordinary tools and materials that are easy to find in local craft, hardware and medical supply stores. These easy masks can be customized to fit the face of the wearer. Base your overall design on the traits of real birds, or create a fantasy design.
Instructions
1. Make a plaster casting of a mask-model's face, preferably the person who will ultimately wear the mask. Cover the face liberally with plain petroleum jelly, especially the lips, eyelids, and any facial hair. Insert long paper drinking straws into both nostrils. Plug the ears with cotton or foam rubber earplugs. Assure the mask model he won't be left alone or physically disturbed during the casting process. Advise him to breathe through the nose tubes only during the process.
2. Cut strips of plaster-impregnated bandages, such as those used by doctors to make arm casts, into manageable strips. Dip several strips into warm water, and let them soak for one minute. Apply the first wet bandage to the model's face, starting with the forehead and working down. Work very quickly. Build up layers of strips until the entire face is covered by a shell of bandages at least 3/8 inch in thickness. Let the bandages dry. Drying takes approximately half an hour after the last bandage is applied. Remove the plaster casting very slowly. Set the mask "blank" aside to dry overnight.
3. Cut eye and any nostril or mouth openings desired into the mask blank using an X-acto-type razor knife or a hacksaw blade. Cut delicately to avoid crushing the mask.
4. Smooth any rough edges around the mask, and especially inside the mask, with more wet plaster bandage strips, and let these dry. When dry, trim away any stray bandage strings inside the mask. and seal the inside surface with a coat of odorless latex paint.
5. Mount the mask blank to a tabletop head model. Add bird-like features such as a beak to the blank by building up the surface of the blank with "shape supports," made of rigid urethane foam. You can purchase urethane foam blocks from most craft stores and sculpt almost any shape desired using a hand rasp or file. Apply plaster bandages over these frames, and incorporate these bandages into the mask blank. Add odorless glue to make this bond even stronger. Don't overbuild: If the add-on features are too heavy, they will tend to fall off the mask. Reinforce any protruding features, like a very long beak, with wooden dowels.
6. Test the mask when dry. Find a way to anchor the mask to the wearer's face so it is comfortable and won't slip off. If necessary, attach a whole-head knit stocking cap (with the face cut out) to the mask so it can be worn over the entire head. Use a stocking cap that is smaller than the wearer's head for the tightest, most stable fit.
7. Decorate the mask with paint and feathers using odorless glues and paints.
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